It was Joe from California, the voice told him. Where should all the teddy bears be delivered? There were 26 in all, but Joe needed directions to Sandy Hook.

Joe had found Fitzgerald's phone number in a list on the Internet for volunteers, more specifically, the Newtown Volunteer Task Force.

Could he help?

"I could hear the chime of the car door opening," Fitzgerald said. "He was packed and ready to drive across the country to get here. I looked to see who I could put him in touch with."

After that call there were 10 more. Then 100. Then 1,000.

What had started a year ago as a group of neighbors toting chainsaws to clear debris following Hurricane Irene boomed into a 1,500-person, ready-to-go volunteer operation sorting through the calls, emails and gifts flooding the town.

Almost overnight following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that left 20 first-graders dead along with six school officials, this small band of well-intentioned neighbors has become the de-facto group to handle most of the town's incoming correspondence.

Many of the callers are simply looking to speak to someone in Newtown to express their condolences, but others are looking to make donations, Fitzgerald said.

"Some people have no other way to express how they feel," Fitzgerald said. "It's not like a building has fallen down and we can all pick up the pieces. I don't think anybody had any clue how involved this would become."

The group's goal is to create a database large enough for town officials and others to access later to answer questions they may have. For example, if the town decides to build a new school or renovate Sandy Hook Elementary, are there architects who have volunteered their services? How many statues might be available for a future memorial? What about funds set aside for first responders?

The group isn't making any decisions without input from town officials, and monetary donations are being sorted to be sent to specific groups or set aside for specific causes, he said.

Officials ranging from the first selectman's office to the superintendent of schools have allowed the organization to sort through some of the 40,000 emails received. Most of the work currently is playing catch-up — returning phone calls to well-wishers, asking potential donors if they can wait a bit longer and responding to larger requests from organizations ranging from the Tennessee Titans to Microsoft.

The Red Cross and United Way of Western Connecticut reached out to the organization in the days following the shooting after learning of the calls. Peter D'Amico helped to establish a center located in the bottom floor of an office suite he owned just off Main Street, while businesses ranging from AT&T, Verizon and Best Buy donated computer equipment and phones to aid the volunteers.

The group started with a 20,000-square-foot warehouse off site, but later expanded to account for all the teddy bears, books and other donations that poured in. The space later expanded — and filled — 30,000 square feet.

"It's heartfelt work," Diane Johnson, a volunteer at the center sorting through emails, said. "We all have our favorite messages. Somebody in Hawaii wanted to send ukuleles for the music department because it brought them joy. "

Volunteers, new and returning, walked in throughout the morning on Tuesday, answering a few simple questions. Have you been here before? See Robin. If not, head upstairs to a training session to get started.

Robin Fitzgerald, Kevin's wife, has spent most of the past month — including part of Christmas Day — sorting through the constant calls, emails and donations flooding into town. The work is starting to slow down slightly — a planned 7 to 8 p.m. shift for volunteers was canceled this week — but the work may still continue on for months.

Robin Fitzgerald said the work is therapeutic for her, a way to cope with the tragedy while still helping the community. She has put in 14- to 15-hour days most of the time, but said that doesn't matter. It's her hometown and everyone is pitching in, she said.

"Everybody here is less than one degree away from someone," Fitzgerald said. "We didn't have a physical disaster like some folks had with Hurricane Sandy where their entire home was destroyed. That is devastating as well, but we've had an emotional disaster, and some people don't think of that that way since they send teddy bears, blankets and whatever else, but it's nice to know people care that much."

The group isn't turning anyone away, but is encouraging potential donors to consider making a donation to first responders in their own communities and then share a photo on the task force's Facebook page, she said.

"Whenever we said we need something, someone is there an hour later waiting to help us with that task," Fitzgerald said. "The right people with the right skill set or materials show up. It's a giant wave and we're all on top of it. It makes you feel that there is more good than evil in the world, even though something horrible happened."

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